The documentary film “13th” directed by Ava DuVernay is an interesting look at the prison system, how and why Black and Hispanic people make up the majority of the prison population and how the problems within the interconnected political, judicial, and prison system have grown and changed over time. It discusses topics such as the death penalty, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the dehumanization of prisons and about how labeling individuals and groups and criminals effects perception of these people or groups. The documentary touches on the death penalty at certain points in relation to other issues within the criminal justice system. The pressure for sentencing people under the death penalty was overwhelming for politicians.
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The prison population has skyrocketed from 357,292 in 1970 to 2,306,200 in 2014 thanks to the war on drugs and war on people who use them. These numbers have only started to decrease in recent years because Americans had to learn the hard way that putting drug addicts into prison with other drug addicts and drugs dealers instead of rehab and counseling to treat their addiction was not an effective way to stop drug usage and sales. Of course this was never intended to stop drugs. It was intended to fill prisons because of companies like the CCA who make money off of having people in their prisons. Other companies like Victoria’s Secret make money off of prisoner’s labor. It’s a lot cheaper for them that way and there’s always an endless supply of workers. Human beings are reduced to profit so it’s no wonder they aren’t treated like people. Instead they get stuffed into windowless cells to rot. Prisons are designed to break people. The problem with this is that not only is that unethical, but people who haven’t committed crimes or even had a trial suffer the same fate. Kalief Browder is a terrifying example of this. He spent three years on trial because he wanted his day in court. He was acquitted, but still punished both in having to be in prison and having his mental health destroyed. He eventually committed suicide after several unsuccessful attempts. I had never heard this man’s name before today because in the criminal justice system it’s just like any other day. The moment he entered the prisoner he was seen only as a profit, not as a
The prison population has skyrocketed from 357,292 in 1970 to 2,306,200 in 2014 thanks to the war on drugs and war on people who use them. These numbers have only started to decrease in recent years because Americans had to learn the hard way that putting drug addicts into prison with other drug addicts and drugs dealers instead of rehab and counseling to treat their addiction was not an effective way to stop drug usage and sales. Of course this was never intended to stop drugs. It was intended to fill prisons because of companies like the CCA who make money off of having people in their prisons. Other companies like Victoria’s Secret make money off of prisoner’s labor. It’s a lot cheaper for them that way and there’s always an endless supply of workers. Human beings are reduced to profit so it’s no wonder they aren’t treated like people. Instead they get stuffed into windowless cells to rot. Prisons are designed to break people. The problem with this is that not only is that unethical, but people who haven’t committed crimes or even had a trial suffer the same fate. Kalief Browder is a terrifying example of this. He spent three years on trial because he wanted his day in court. He was acquitted, but still punished both in having to be in prison and having his mental health destroyed. He eventually committed suicide after several unsuccessful attempts. I had never heard this man’s name before today because in the criminal justice system it’s just like any other day. The moment he entered the prisoner he was seen only as a profit, not as a